Arts and Entertainment

A&E 11/15/22 11:18pm

Review: Concert battle pits Paul Wall against Gary Clark Jr.

By Ben Baker-Katz

Texas music was alive and well last Thursday night, when Houston rap legend Paul Wall “battled” Austin-based, Grammy-winning guitarist Gary Clark Jr. in a Red Bull SoundClash. The stage set-up accentuated the two artists’ home cities: Clark’s stage sported a brick building with classic Austin signage — a marquee and a neon Antone’s sign for the city’s famed live music venue — and Wall’s stage featured a massive Houston Oilers logo and Houston skyline cutouts.

A&E 11/9/22 12:57am

Review: ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’ perfectly balances comedy and drama

By Jay Collura

As “The Banshees of Inisherin” begins, the audience is introduced to Inisherin, an island off the coast of Ireland divided into corners for farming by cobblestone walls. For Pádraic Súilleabháin (Colin Farrell), the repetitive cycle of working and then going to the pub is sufficient, as his happy-go-lucky attitude and welcoming demeanor immediately establish. This cycle is interrupted, however, when Colm Doherty (Brendan Gleeson) announces that he will no longer talk to Pádraic, despite the fact they have been best friends for years. This seemingly small decision to break off a relationship ripples across the island, forcing both Pádraic and Colm to reconcile with abandonment and reevaluate who they really are.

A&E 11/9/22 12:56am

Review: ‘Her Loss’ is a solid, if lopsided, collaborative album

By Jacob Pellegrino

For his past two albums, Drake’s best tracks have featured 21 Savage, and for good reason: the duo displays strong chemistry and elicits some of Drake’s best bars in years. “Her Loss,” a collaborative album between Drake and 21 Savage, promised a continuation of what we’d heard in “Knife Talk” and “Jimmy Cooks.” However, it is largely a Drake album that regularly features 21 Savage. While still a solid listen with some really enjoyable moments, the album falls flat in delivering the kinetic collaborations we have seen in the past.

A&E 11/9/22 12:54am

Review: Rec Room’s apocalyptic romantic comedy thriller ‘Put Your House in Order’ is a promising show for the spooky season

By Gina Matos

Upon walking through its doors, Rec Room quickly distinguishes itself from other local theatre spaces in Houston: its cozy lighting, exposed brick walls and dynamic background music lend themselves to an intimate, homely environment before the show even begins. As the audience trickles into the venue for the night’s show, the stage’s intricate set design, furnished with a full-thrust front porch and yard (impressively designed by Stefan Azizi), boldly precedes the riveting journey that is to come.

A&E 11/9/22 12:53am

Shepherd revives ‘Street Scene’ opera with new production

By Parker Blumentritt

On Nov. 4 and 6, the Shepherd School of Music performed “Street Scene,” an opera with music composed by Kurt Weill, book by Elmer Rice and lyrics by Langston Hughes. Patrick Diamond, the stage director of the show, is in his third year as a faculty member of Shepherd’s Opera Studies program. Diamond said that his role involves coordinating the show’s spatial elements, the interactions between characters and collaborating with the show’s conductor, Steven Osgood, to create a show that builds dramatically and tells a story.

A&E 11/8/22 11:58pm

Review: ‘Weird: The Al Yankovic Story’ is hilariously bizarre

By Ivy Li

Eric Appel’s 2010 movie trailer spoof from Funny or Die has expanded into a full-length film “biopic” about and co-written with Al Yankovic. Starring Daniel Radcliffe in a curly wig and colorful Hawaiian shirts, “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story” is hilarious, dramatic and, most importantly, almost entirely fictional.

A&E 11/8/22 11:55pm

Celebrate Indigenous heritage in HTX

By Sara Davidson

This November is Native American Heritage Month, and places both near and far from campus in the greater Houston area are hosting several events. Ranging from intimate readings to lively performances, this list includes representation from many of the tribes, not only regionally, but also from across the United States. Learn about several of the many things coming to Houston for this heritage month and be sure to check out your favorites.

A&E 11/8/22 11:53pm

‘As wonky as possible’: Rice Chorale finds joy in music

By Shreya Challa

Every Monday and Wednesday, music director Tom Jaber shepherds the Rice Chorale, a group of students plucked from various majors and years, into a practice room to sing choir music. Currently, the chorus is preparing for their upcoming show on Nov. 15 at 7:30 p.m. in the Edythe Bates Old Organ Hall at the Shepherd School of Music. This is Jaber’s 35th year as a professor and director of choral music at the Shepherd School of Music. Throughout the years, he has led the Chorale through multiple changes in the voice department and revived the group after disbanding during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A&E 11/8/22 11:48pm

Author Wayétu Moore explores dating, intersectionality

By Riya Misra

Liberian-American author and entrepreneur Wayétu Moore hosted a book reading Nov. 3 in the Rice Memorial Chapel. The reading delved into themes of Blackness, dating and intersectionality, and was sponsored by the Cherry Reading Series, R2: The Rice Review and Rice’s Department of English.

A&E 11/5/22 4:09pm

Second annual I Love the Nickel Block Party unites Fifth Ward community

By Julia Li

Last Saturday, the I Love the Nickel Block Party brought together members of the Fifth Ward community, intertwining the buried stories of Louis White Grocery Store and its owner, civil rights activist Elnora White. Urban Engaged HTX, a new nonprofit established by Ashley Ruiz, hosted the block party. Urban Engaged is a fully Latina-owned urban property development company, which aims to uplift the Fifth Ward community through outreach, restorations and social events.

A&E 11/5/22 3:47pm

Meet the ACL Artist: The Future X talks touring and TikTok

By Shreya Challa

Pop group The Future X took on Austin City Limits on Oct. 8, fresh from their stint at the 2022 Honda Civic Tour. The group’s members include singers Luke Brown, Angie Green and Maci Wood, and dancers Tray Taylor, Sasha Marie, Jayna Hughes and Drew Venegas. Each member was handpicked by ‘American Idol’ creator Simon Fuller via TikTok.

A&E 11/3/22 2:34pm

Houston rap legend Paul Wall set to compete with Gary Clark Jr. in musical showdown

By Ben Baker-Katz

Though many Rice students might not know the name Paul Wall, their favorite Houston artists certainly do. The self-proclaimed “Peoples Champ,” Wall and his famous grill have been influential in the Houston music community since the late 1990s. Wall, whose love for Houston is renowned, said that being able to represent the Houston music community and help aspiring Houston artists has been a lifelong dream.

A&E 11/2/22 12:37am

Review: Style overpowers substance in ‘Wendell and Wild’

By Jay Collura

Thirteen years after the critically acclaimed film “Coraline,” stop-motion animation virtuoso Henry Selick released a new feature, “Wendell and Wild,” on Netflix last Friday. Just as “The Nightmare Before Christmas” paired Selick with Tim Burton, this new film is built upon a partnership: this time with Jordan Peele. “Wendell and Wild” is certainly more whimsical than most of Peele’s recent horror films, but his passion for the genre seeps into every aspect of the film.

A&E 11/2/22 12:34am

Thrifting 101: Where to find fall fashion on a dime

By Cecilia Nguyen

Haven’t brought your winter clothes to campus yet? Looking to expand your closet? Want more clothes but have no money in your bank account? If you said yes to any of those questions, Houston’s thrift stores are waiting for you. Rest assured, just like your personal style, thrift stores come in all price ranges and styles. To find your next best fits, read through the thrift stores below to find one that is just right for you.

A&E 11/2/22 12:33am

Review: ‘Luv 4 Rent’ is uncategorizable

By Jacob Pellegrino

Smino creates an uncategorizable and unique album centered around the many forms that love can take on “Luv 4 Rent.” Unconstrained creativity is nothing new to Smino, as it’s been visible in his work since his exceptional debut “blkswn.” Smino is an artist who sounds like no one else and trailblazes his own combination of neo-soul stylings and an off-kilter form of rap.

A&E 11/2/22 12:32am

Senior Spotlight: Kenzie Pickett brings life to museums

By Michelle Gachelin

Kenzie Pickett accomplishes the impossible — she revives centuries-old artifacts for the modern world. As a Camfield fellow at the Museum of Fine Arts, she spends 10 to 15 hours each week researching historical objects, preparing for the museum’s new traveling exhibit and writing tombstones, which are 100-word labels that describe each artwork. At Rice, Pickett is double majoring in art history and ancient Mediterranean civilizations and double minoring in museum studies and cultural heritage. Her interest in curatorial work and museums was first ignited as a child, when she watched “Jurassic Park” and “Night at the Museum,” in which characters are magically resuscitated, reentering the 21st century as new beings.

A&E 11/2/22 12:11am

New climate justice mural at Rice’s Solar Studios

By Hadley Medlock

A year ago, Aaron Ambroso and Tiffany Jin co-founded the Houston Climate Justice Museum with a mission: to challenge conventional museum ideals and address climate change within spaces that do not traditionally acknowledge it. This Friday from 6:30 to 9 p.m., the museum will be unveiling their newest project at Rice’s Solar Studios, an experimental exhibit titled “Creosote Stories: Seeding Planthroposcenes in Northeast Houston.”

A&E 10/25/22 10:42pm

Review: The Rock brings his best in action-packed ‘Black Adam’

By Saswat Pati

“Black Adam” truly feels like a Blockbuster from start to finish. Though the movie is by no means earth-shattering and in fact borrows a lot of tropes from the comic book film genre, “Black Adam” presents an engaging narrative and truly feels like a superhero movie. I was entertained throughout by stunning visuals, a well-written script and strong direction. Most importantly, the movie is fun, with back-to-back action scenes that ensure audiences will never be bored.

A&E 10/25/22 10:08pm

Review: Meghan Trainor's ‘Takin’ It Back’ takes listeners on another predictably mediocre ride

By Francesca Bliss

Meghan Trainor’s latest album “Takin’ it Back” is both predictably underwhelming and, unexpectedly, not entirely bad. While Trainor’s musical formula has remained almost unchanged since her early success circa 2014, this album adds a refreshing layer of synthesizers in addition to the brass, “retro” bassline and doo-wop melodies that are emblematic of Trainor’s music. Although Trainor made some slight but meaningful changes to her musicality in parts of this album, the themes of her lyrics are practically copied and pasted from her previous work.

A&E 10/25/22 10:05pm

Review: ‘Midnights’ not worth staying up for

By Hugo Gerbich-Pais

It is obvious that Taylor Swift needed to have gone to bed earlier and reviewed her work before releasing Midnights. Failing to live to up to the sophisticated and heart-wrenching story telling that brought her critical acclaim, Taylor Swift’s “Midnights (3am Edition)” sees her return to her “You Need to Calm Down,” “Look What You Made Me Do” and “Blank Space” eras, but at least those songs were danceable. While not terrible, the album falls flat, despite several songs showcasing Swift’s songwriting and vocal talent.